Located within the lobby area of the festive Courtyard By Marriott/Isla Verde, is PICANTE, a lobby lounge/casual restaurant which serves Salads, Sandwiches and more HEARTY main course dishes that impress!
The BEST part about this entire experience is that it's FULL of Puerto Rican pride...right down to the classic salsa music that reminds everyone of EXACTLY where they are, the menu reflects many local food classics, PICANTE means spicy but the food is NOT at all. spicy! Picante gives the customer a REAL taste of Puerto Rican culture and that's what makes this place a WINNER! Please note that they are only open for DINNER (HOURS: 6:00PM - 11:00PM) . PS Ask for servers KARELYN or DIEGO, both are extremely dedicated to giving customers a positive experience!
PICANTE's "Black Bean Hummus" ($10) is superb, the portion is generous and it's filling for one, however, it came with deep-fried tortilla chips - better to pair it with homemade (unsalted) plantain chips. Or, gigantic taro root vegetable chips like they do at the Lobby Bar of the Caribe Hilton.
The "Grilled Skirt Steak" (aka Churrasco) is one of the most delicious meats one can enjoy (at a fraction of the price of most other cuts of meat). a CLASSIC dish in Puerto Rico -,Picante's version is no exception, ($32) it's priced right and comes with short grain rice and beans ( they're vegan, no meats used in its' prep). Picante's menu offers other options like Mofongo (a super starchy mash of plantains and such, it'll fill you up quickly, their version doesn't contain pork in the recipe) , their Chicken Mofongo is priced at $26. Their Salmon Filet is served with Creamed Caper Sauce ($28) with Rice and Beans and...a Grilled Chicken Sandwich is served on locally made bread at $16.
Afterwards, enjoy an Iced Cafe con Levhe to go and sit outside on a hammock under the moonlight. It's so wonderfully Puerto Rican at this unique beach resort. It's a place you don't need to get dressed-up for...try it! read more